Physiotherapy Personal Statement
Since starting my A-level subjects of English, Biology and Sport Studies, I have decided to pursue physiotherapy as a future career. As part of my research, I arranged two work experience placements at Watford General Hospital and Mount Vernon Hospital. During these placements, I shadowed several physiotherapists, allowing me to view many different aspects of the department. These included stroke victims, sports injuries, rehabilitation after surgery and care of the elderly. Before I attended these placements, I expected to go into sports injuries as a specialist area at university. However, looking after a stroke victim and helping them recover was an extremely rewarding experience, and this is the area I now wish to concentrate on. Both days were very interesting and I enjoyed working with the staff and patients so much that I am planning similar placements at Northwick Park and the Royal Orthopedic Hospital in Stanmore. To appreciate the differences between Physiotherapy and Osteopathy, I have also attended an open day at the British School of Osteopathy
This day gave me a better understanding of the topic, before embarking on it as a career and I feel it greatly helped me develop the abilities I require to pursue physiotherapy
At school, I am involved in many aspects of extra curricular life
Last year I assisted in teaching lower years during their PE lessons, lending them the experience I have gained through playing seven years of rugby and hockey. I have represented the senior teams in both sports, culminating in being selected for the 1st XV tour of Ireland last year. Furthermore, due to my heavy commitment to rugby, this year I have been elected to the position of Honorary Secretary for the 1st XV rugby team. My responsibilities include leading the stretching routine, helping to select a team and being a mediator between the players and the coach, should any problems arise. This has helped me build a strong relationship with my coach and fellow players, and reinforces the team values I have learned, such as working together to achieve goals, and being able to listen and respond to what other people say. On the pitch, it is my duty to assist the captain and vice-captain in maintaining discipline and to motivate the team during good and bad experiences. Off the pitch, I am in charge of the 'kit for Romania' appeal. I promote the scheme in assemblies, collect all donations of kit and make sure they are in a suitable condition to be sent to Romania. I am also on the editing committee for our school magazine, the Fullerian, and am mainly accountable for the drama reports, as well as the overall appearance and layout of the magazine
Moreover, I am a member of the Literary and Arts Society, which is run by Sixth formers. My duties here, again include working on a magazine, however I am mostly involved with obtaining advertisements from local companies for the magazine, and collecting articles rather than editing. Both of these positions help me with my A-level English studies, and many skills that I learn in class can be related to both responsibilities. I have organized a series of successful charity football competitions, raising money for Sport Relief and I am planning further tournaments
Outside of school, I also involve myself with several activities. I have recently been chosen to play in a football team, for my local church, Croxley Baptists. Playing for a church team allows me to take in a very different atmosphere to rugby, and meet a different group of people. Working at Watford and Saracens, allows me to watch every home match. This, I find, is a very valuable use of my time, and I endeavor to attend each game, as it provides a welcome break from academia
In the future, I plan to travel around Europe, especially France, to enhance the French I learned at AS level. I also want to visit Australia and Canada, to experience other cultures and to see, first hand, how sporting excellence is developed. Sporting development is a subject that I have touched upon during GCSE and A-level PE, and is one that I find very stimulating. However, I would rather start a degree course immediately, so I have decided to postpone my travelling ambitions until I graduate, as I will get more out of the experience
I feel my attitude to work, and my willingness to be involved with extra-curricular activities, have both made me a good student. I am dedicated to physiotherapy, as it is an active, enjoyable profession and one I can see myself being good at.
Comments
General Comments:
There is too much emphasis on extra-curricular activities - the majority of the statement should be about motivation and enthusiasm for the subject applied for e.g. experience, relevance of studies, why you want to study it. --Kirsty-17988 18:40, 23 August 2007 (BST)
